It’s tough to talk about long RPs and questions without
a sample passage and questions to look at. So, here’s a sample passage
about Galileo with the italicized introduction.

As you read the passage, note the little numbers to the
left. Those numbers count off every five lines of the passage (the
“5” means that you’re reading the fifth line of the passage, the
“10” means you’re reading the tenth line, and so on). Questions
that ask you to refer to a specific word or section of the passage
will include the line numbers of that word or section.

Sample Passage

The following passage discusses
the scientific life of Galileo Galilei in reference to the political, religious,
artistic, and scientific movements of the age.

Galileo Galilei was born in 1564 into a Europe wracked by

cultural ferment and religious strife. The popes of the Roman

Catholic Church, powerful in their roles as both religious and

Line

secular leaders, had proven vulnerable to the worldly and

(5)

decadent spirit of the age, and their personal immorality brought

the reputation of the papacy to historic lows. In 1517, Martin

Luther, a former monk, attacked Catholicism for having become too

worldly and politically corrupt and for obscuring the

fundamentals of Christianity with pagan elements. His reforming

(10)

zeal, which appealed to a notion of an original, “purified”

Christianity, set in motion the Protestant Reformation and split

European Christianity in two.

In response, Roman Catholicism steeled itself for battle and

launched the Counter-Reformation, which emphasized orthodoxy and

(15)

fidelity to the true Church. The Counter-Reformation

reinvigorated the Church and, to some extent, eliminated its

excesses. But the Counter-Reformation also contributed to the

decline of the Italian Renaissance, a revival of arts and letters

that sought to recover and rework the classical art and

(20)

philosophy of ancient Greece and Rome. The popes had once been

great patrons of Renaissance arts and sciences, but the

Counter-Reformation put an end to the Church’s liberal leniency

in these areas. Further, the Church’s new emphasis on religious

orthodoxy would soon clash with the emerging scientific

(25)

revolution. Galileo, with his study of astronomy, found himself

at the center of this clash.

Conservative astronomers of Galileo’s time, working without

telescopes, ascribed without deviation to the ancient theory of

geocentricity. This theory of astronomy held that the earth

(30)

(“geo,” as in “geography” or “geology”) lay at the center of the

solar system, orbited by both the sun and the other planets.

Indeed, to the casual observer, it seemed common sense that since

the sun “rose” in the morning and “set” at night, it must have

circled around the earth. Ancient authorities like Aristotle and

(35)

the Roman astronomer Ptolemy had championed this viewpoint, and

the notion also coincided with the Catholic Church’s view of the

universe, which placed mankind, God’s principal creation, at the

center of the cosmos. Buttressed by common sense, the ancient

philosophers, and the Church, the geocentric model of the

(40)

universe seemed secure in its authority. The Ptolemaic theory,

however, was not impervious to attack. In the 16th century,

astronomers strained to make modern observations fit Ptolemy’s

geocentric model of the universe.

Increasingly complex mathematical systems were necessary to

(45)

reconcile these new observations with Ptolemy’s system of

interlocking orbits. Nicholas Copernicus, a Polish astronomer,

openly questioned the Ptolemaic system and proposed a

heliocentric system in which the planets—including earth—orbited

the sun (“helios”). This more mathematically satisfying way of

(50)

arranging the solar system did not attract many supporters at

first, since the available data did not yet support a wholesale

abandonment of Ptolemy’s system. By the end of the 16th century,

however, astronomers like Johannes Kepler (1571–1630) had also

begun to embrace Copernicus’s theory.

(55)

Ultimately, Galileo’s telescope struck a fatal blow to the

Ptolemaic system. But, in a sense, the telescope was also nearly

fatal to Galileo himself. The Catholic Church, desperately trying

to hold the Protestant heresy at bay, could not accept a

scientific assault on its own theories of the universe. The

(60)

pressures of the age set in motion a historic confrontation

between religion and science, one which would culminate in 1633

when the Church put Galileo on trial, forced him to recant his

stated and published scientific beliefs, and put him under

permanent house arrest.

The Seven Types of RP Questions

The SAT asks seven types of questions about RPs. These
seven types of questions are the same for both
long RPs and short RPs. So, if you’re ready for these seven types, you’re
ready for every RP question that might appear on the new SAT.

Here’s a list of the seven RP question types:

Main Idea

Attitude
or Tone

Specific
Information

Implied
Information

Themes
and Arguments

Technique

Words
in Context

Below, we provide a more thorough explanation of each
question type based on sample questions about the Galileo passage
above. We provide an explanation of how to answer each question
about the Galileo passage that will show you how to answer all questions
of that type.

1. Main Idea

Main idea questions test your understanding of
the entire passage. They don’t include specific quotations from
the passage. Instead, they ask broad questions that focus on the passage’s
primary purpose. Unlike themes and arguments questions (question
type 5), main idea questions do not concern the author’s opinions
on the subject—they just focus on the subject or idea itself. Main
idea questions cover things such as

What’s the primary purpose of the passage?

What main idea is the author trying to convey?

Why did the author write it?

A Sample Main Idea Question

Which
of the following best states the main idea of the passage?

(A)

Science always conflicts with religion.

(B)

Science is vulnerable to outside social forces.

(C)

Ideally, scientific theories should reinforce religious
doctrine.

(D)

Science operates in a vacuum.

(E)

Advanced technology is the only route to good scientific
theories.

The best way to deal with main idea questions
is to come up with a one-sentence summary of the passage. For this
passage, you might come up with something like “Galileo’s scientific
discoveries in particular, and science in general, were affected
by the religious and social forces of the time.” Once you have the
summary, go to the answer choices. In our example question, the
answer that best fits the summary is B.

But since the passage takes a long time to discuss Galileo’s
run-ins with the Roman Catholic Church, you might have been tempted
by A. If you’re a bit unsure, a good way to back up
your summary is to look at the opening and concluding sentences
of the passage, and, if necessary, at the topic sentence of each
paragraph (the topic sentence is the first sentence in each paragraph).
In the Galileo passage, sentences like the first sentence of this
passage—“Galileo Galilei was born in 1564 into a Europe wracked
by cultural ferment and religious divisions”—make it clear that
the passage is about a scientist in the midst of cultural and religious
upheaval. The passage’s descriptions of the struggle between the
orthodoxy of the Church and the rising scientific revolution help
establish the main idea of the passage: that science is vulnerable
to outside social forces, B.

2. Attitude or Tone

These questions test whether you understand the author’s
view on the subject. To answer them correctly, you should write
down whether the author is for or against his or her subject as
you read the passage. It might also be helpful to jot down a few of
the points or examples the writer uses to make his or her argument.

The differences in the answer choices for this type of
question can be slight. For example, you might have to choose between
“irritated” and “enraged.” Both of these words suggest that the
author has negative sentiments about the topic, but the difference
lies in the intensity of those feelings. Detecting
the words and phrases that convey the intensity of an author’s feelings
will help you distinguish between different extremes of a similar
overall feeling. Determining that a certain topic upsets the author
is only the first step. You then need to examine the author’s word
choice closely to pinpoint the degree of his or her feeling. Is
the upset author mildly disturbed? Strongly disapproving? Or enraged?
It might help to imagine how the author might sound if he or she
read the passage aloud.

If you can’t come to a firm decision about the intensity
of a feeling, remember that even if all you know is whether the
author’s tone is positive, negative, or neutral, you’ll almost definitely
be able to eliminate at least some answer choices and turn the guessing
odds in your favor.

A Sample Attitude or Tone Question

The
author’s tone in this passage can best be described as

(A)

analytical

(B)

disturbed

(C)

skeptical

(D)

dramatic

(E)

reverent

It will help you to first decide whether the author’s
tone is positive, neutral, or negative, and then look
at the answers in order to cross off those that don’t fit. So, is
the Galileo author positive, neutral, or negative? The passage describes
an entire time period, covering the different sides, and while it
discusses how the Counter-Reformation affected Galileo, it never
condemns or praises either the reformation or Galileo. It seeks
mainly to describe what happened. So, it’s a pretty neutral passage, which
means you can eliminate B and C, since
those answer choices are negative, and E, since reverent (“expressing
devotion”) is extremely positive. That leaves dramatic and analytical.

The next step is to ask yourself how the passage would
sound if its tone were dramatic: It would be full
of highs and lows, exclamations and sudden shifts, and it may lurch
all over the emotional spectrum. What about if it were analytical?
It would be a little dry, very informational, with few highs and
lows and lots of explanation meant to scrutinize all sides of the
problem. Based on that description, analytical sounds like the most
accurate way to sum up this writer’s tone in the passage. A is
the correct answer.

3. Specific Information

These questions ask about information that’s explicitly
stated in the passage. On long RPs, specific information questions
usually pinpoint parts of the passage via line numbers or a direct
quotation. Very often, specific information questions come in the
form of NOT or EXCEPT formats in which you have to choose the one
wrong answer out of the five answer choices.

A Sample Specific Information Question

Which
of the following was not a reason for Martin Luther’s
attack on the Catholic Church (lines 4–6)?

(A)

pagan elements in its practices

(B)

the amorality of its leadership

(C)

its excessive attention to piety

(D)

its corruption and worldliness

(E)

the political involvement of the popes

There’s no reason to ever try to answer this question
type without going back to the passage. Take a brief look at the
specific lines that the question addresses (in this example, lines
4–6). It’s time well spent.

In this passage, lines 4–6 say that Luther attacked the
Church for “having become too worldly and politically corrupt and
for obscuring the fundamentals of Christianity with pagan elements.”
That takes out A, B, D, and E.
so the answer is C.

4. Implied Information

Information is “implied” when certain facts, statements,
or ideas convey the information but don’t declare it outright. Think
of these as “suggestion” questions. Implied information questions
identify a particular part of the passage and ask you about less
obvious information that’s “between the lines.” To find the correct answer,
you may have to deduce what’s being said or take a leap of logic.
Remember that the leaps the SAT requires you to take are never very
vast. Even though implied information questions ask you to reach
a bit beyond what the passage states explicitly, they do not require
you to think far outside the boundaries of the facts and opinions
that the passage overtly contains. Often, you can spot implied information questions
when you see words like context, inferred, implied, indicated,
or suggested. Here is a sample of how the SAT phrases
implied information questions.

A Sample Implied Information Question

In
the second paragraph, the passage implies that during the Renaissance,
the Catholic Church

(A)

saw little conflict between its own goals and those of
the arts and sciences

(B)

promoted the arts as a way to limit the social influence
of scientists

(C)

supported Martin Luther’s views on religion and the Church

(D)

had limited interaction with the religious affairs of commoners

(E)

focused on spirituality as opposed to worldly matters

For this kind of question, it’s important to come up with
your own answer before looking at the answer choices. Outside of
the context of the passage, any one of the answer choices might
look acceptable to you. It can also be very helpful to think about
the main idea of the passage to help you figure out the implied
information. Since the author is trying to support a main idea,
the information implied in that support will also be associated
with the main idea.

This question asks about the Catholic Church during the
Renaissance and identifies the second paragraph as the place to
look. In that paragraph, it says that during the Renaissance, the
Church “was a great patron of the arts and sciences.” What does
this suggest about the Church during that period? How about this:
“The Church liked the arts and sciences during the Renaissance.”
Now go through the answer choices and look for a match: A is
by far the best fit and the best answer.

5. Themes and Arguments

The main idea of a passage is its overall purpose. Themes
are the recurring concepts that an author uses to establish the
main idea. Arguments are the specific perspectives and opinions
an author expresses on his or her main idea. Themes and arguments
questions test your ability to look at particular parts of a passage
and identify the underlying feelings they convey about the main
idea. Themes and arguments questions often test your ability to
put what the passage says, or how the author feels, into your own
words.

The main idea of a passage might be that “the growing
rat population is damaging Chicago.” Three different themes that
an author uses to establish the main idea could be disease, tourism,
and city infrastructure. The author’s arguments, or specific opinions,
could be that the growing rat population has caused the spread of influenza
in Chicago, has led to a steep drop in tourism to the city, and
threatens to destroy some of the city’s most important structures.

A Sample Themes and Arguments Question

Which
of the following best explains why the Catholic Church started the
Counter-Reformation? (lines 8–10)

(A)

to fight scientific heresy

(B)

to clean out its own ranks

(C)

to reinvigorate artists and intellectuals

(D)

to elect a new pope

(E)

to counter Protestant challenges

The first thing you should do on this type of question
is go back to the passage and then come up with your own answer
to the question. Once you have this answer in your head, then look
at the answer choices. If you look at the answer choices before going
back to the passage, you’re much more likely to make a careless
error.

This question tests whether you can follow the flow of
argument within the text. More specifically, it tests your ability
to differentiate between the causes and effects of the Counter-Reformation.
Answers A, B, and C refer
to effects of the Counter-Reformation, not the
causes. But if you were to only look at the answers, any one of
these choices might look familiar and therefore tempt you. Avoid
temptation. Go back to the passage: “In 1517, Martin Luther, a former
monk, attacked Catholicism for having become too worldly and politically
corrupt and for obscuring the fundamentals of Christianity with
pagan elements. His reforming zeal . . . set in motion the Protestant
Reformation and split European Christianity in two. In response,
Roman Catholicism steeled itself for battle and launched the Counter-Reformation,
which emphasized orthodoxy and fidelity to the true Church.” So,
your answer to the question of why the Catholic Church started the
Counter-Reformation would be something like, “In response to the
Protestants and Martin Luther.” Answer choice E is
the best fit and the right answer.

6. Technique

Every author uses certain methods to convey his or her
ideas. Technique questions require you to identify the specific
literary tool or method the author of the passage uses in a specific
part of the passage. This makes technique questions the most likely place
for literary terms like simile and metaphor to
appear.

Technique questions can focus on very small units in the
passage, such as single words or simple parenthetical statements,
or they can target larger units, such as a list, or even the relationship
between entire paragraphs.

If you’re having trouble figuring out why or how an author
is using a particular technique, it can often be helpful to take
a step back and look at the technique in light of the author’s main
point or idea. If you know the main idea, you can often use that
information to figure out what an author is trying to accomplish
in a particular area of a passage.

A Sample Technique Example

The
author’s description of Galileo’s telescope as having “struck a
fatal blow” is an example of a(n)

(A)

simile

(B)

metaphor

(C)

personification

(D)

allusion

(E)

irony

This question tests your knowledge of literary terms—a
new subject on the new SAT. (If you’re having trouble with literary
terms, take some time to look over our literary terms list on page
158.) In this question, the telescope, an inanimate object, is described
as having “struck a fatal blow.” In other words, it’s been given
human qualities, which is the definition of personification.

7. Words in Context

These questions present a word or short phrase from the
passage and then ask about the meaning of that word in the greater
context of the passage. Such questions on long RPs include line
numbers that direct you to where the words in the question appear
in the passage.

The majority of words-in-context questions look like this:

The
word “content” (line 34) is closest in meaning to which of the following
words?

Words-in-context questions are a lot like sentence completions,
only on these questions, the “blank” comes in the form of a word
in quotes. You should try to ignore that word in quotes and imagine
it as a blank. In other words, treat words-in-context questions
as if they were Sentence Completions.

Why ignore those words in quotes? Because words-in-context
questions often have answer choices with words that are indeed correct
meanings of the tested word but not the correct meaning of the word as
it appears in the passage. For example, the question above
might contain answer choices such as satisfied and subject,
both of which are correct meanings of the word content.
But remember that these questions test the word in context.
By approaching the sentence as if it were a sentence completion,
you’ll be forced to consider the context of the word in quotes.

A Sample Words in Context Example

1.

The
term “ferment” in line 1 most closely means

(A)

alienation

(B)

turmoil

(C)

consolidation

(D)

decomposition

(E)

stagnation

So here’s a words-in-context question. Treat it like it’s
a Sentence Completion: “Galileo Galilei was born in 1564 into a
Europe wracked by cultural ---- and religious strife.” The sentence
is one-way (there are no switch words), so the blank needs to fit
with the ideas of “wracked” and “strife,” both of which bring up
associations with fighting and chaos. See page for Sentence
Completion strategy.